How to Warm Up Your Voice Before Singing
Learn the right way to warm up your voice so you can surprise friends without setting off the neighborhood dogs.
Up next in Singing Tips (12 videos)
Improve your singing with the singing tips in this Howcast video series for aspiring professional singers.
You Will Need
- Discipline
- A healthy diet
- Breathing exercises
- Lots of water
Steps
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Step 1
Discipline your voice
Discipline yourself with a good diet and regular exercise. The poor blood flow from self-abuse can compromise vocal quality.
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Step 2
Relax the body
Relax your whole body and do a series of breathing exercises, slowly, to exercise your diaphragm.
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Step 3
Warm up incrementally
Warm up incrementally, never forcing your voice. Thicker and deeper voices will take longer to prepare.
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Trying too hard, going too fast, or attempting to vocalize too soon can do great damage. Be patient and cautious.
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Step 4
Drink water
Drink lots of room temperature water throughout the day. Give your body time to absorb the water before working your voice.
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Step 5
Do scales
Do your scales, starting from middle C and going low, and then high. Be comfortable and don’t push it. If it hurts, stop.
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Step 6
Build the voice
Build volume, speed, and range as you go. Vocalize a siren sound, using "Ee" as you move up and down your range, and repeat until you feel limber.
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Step 7
Work and shape the mouth
Over-enunciate different sounds and phrases to work out your mouth, tongue, and face. Open your mouth for vowels, and make consonants crisp.
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Singing is done with vowels. Consonants are pitch-less.
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Step 8
Avoid using the voice
Avoid using your voice throughout the day you have to sing. Don’t raise your voice or whisper, which can also fatigue your voice.
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Did you know? A Chinese music teacher, Li Wenxing, is said to sing across six octaves.
